Age limits one’s mobility as well as cognitive function. Additionally, the ability of older adults to process difficult situations accordingly and react in time tends to decline with time. That implies that your elderly loved one might have a difficult time surviving a hurricane and other similar disasters.
You need to consider moving older adults to Southlake, TX retirement homes if you are keen on ensuring their safety in the event of a natural calamity. Yet, before actualizing your plans, you ought to keenly evaluate the level of hurricane preparedness of the retirement community. Here are some attributes to factor into your final decision.
Flood and Fire Safety
Hurricanes have the potential to cause floods and start fires. These two are deadly threats to the safety of an older adult. For older adults who have mobility issues, are visually impaired, deaf, or physically disabled, moving around and escaping might be a challenge.
Consequently, you have to be certain that the caregivers and the community administration will secure your loved one regardless of the eventuality. Primarily, you have to ensure that the center has a safe location that could accommodate your loved one after an evacuation.
Burglaries and Theft
Natural calamities like hurricanes expose older adults to the risk of theft and burglary. The aftermath of such disasters is characterized by increased lawlessness which could potentially spread to the retirement community.
Safety in such a time is particularly vital for older citizens with dementia and other cognitive impairments since they may not be keen enough to take notice of any theft activity. It makes it easy for them to lose their precious valuables. Thus, you need to make sure that your loved one will be adequately protected from unauthorized visits from potential thieves and burglars. The ideal retirement community should have a secured perimeter fence as well as a well-guarded exit and entrance.
Potential Power Outages
Power outages are highly prevalent during hurricanes and bad weather. Blackouts and power outages can pose a major challenge to older adults. Their poor sight, compromised flexibility, and limited mobility can worsen in the absence of electricity. It is extremely vital to make sure that your preferred retirement community has a reliable power backup that can keep things running in case of a power outage. You need to make sure that there is a backup generator as well as an alternative for the generator if it breaks down.
Emergency Plans
When you move your loved one to a retirement community, you need to be certain that the place will keep them safe under all circumstances. Harsh weather can be a major challenge to older adults. Hurricanes in particular can be devastating in their wake.
Therefore, you need to access the emergency plans that the retirement community has. Apart from that, you have to ascertain if the caregivers and other team members are adequately equipped with up-to-date skills to offer assistance in hurricane emergencies.
You also have to find out whether the neighborhood will provide any shelter, medication, water, and food to your loved one if anything happens during bad weather. Ask if there is a reserve with extra food or water for your loved one. Generally, you have to keenly analyze the prevailing crisis management plans and find out if they are practical in addressing the needs of your loved one in the event of a hurricane.
There is no certain way to know if your older friend or loved one will be safe and unharmed in case a hurricane strikes. However, moving your loved one to a retirement home with proper hurricane preparedness measures heightens your chances of keeping them secure.
